After 14 Years of 'Jacob', There's a New Top Baby Name for Boys

After 14 Years of 'Jacob', There's a New Top Baby Name for Boys

NBC -- In the flood of popular baby names, one has surprisingly ridden to the top.

NBC -- In the flood of popular baby names, one has surprisingly ridden to the top: Noah.

Noah has replaced Jacob as the top baby name for boys, while Sophia remains the top name for girls, according to the Social Security Administration, which revealed its top baby names for 2013 on TODAY this morning.

It’s a stunning move up for Noah, which is the first new boys' name at No. 1 other than Jacob or Michael since 1960. (Jacob occupied the top spot from 1999 to 2012, and Michael was tops from 1960 to 1998.) It’s the third straight year for Sophia, announced the SSA, which has compiled data on baby names since 1880.

The baby names list is compiled from all Social Security card applications for each year, and there were approximately 4 million births in 2013, says Carolyn W. Colvin, acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration. Parents supply the name to the agency when applying for the child’s Social Security number.

Sophia and Noah are a worthy pair, says Pamela Satran, co-founder of the baby name website Nameberry. “Both names have long histories, worthy namesakes and a modern, fashionable feel. And they appeal to a wide range of parents from different regions of the country, different ethnic groups, a variety of education and economic levels,” says Satran. “That’s what it takes to be the top name.”

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